7066 Nessus
Hubble Space Telescope image of Nessus taken in 2009 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Spacewatch (D. Rabinowitz uncredited) |
| Discovery site | Kitt Peak National Obs. |
| Discovery date | 26 April 1993 |
| Designations | |
| (7066) Nessus | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɛsəs/ |
Named after | Νέσσος Nessos (Greek mythology) |
| 1993 HA2 | |
| centaur · distant | |
| Adjectives | Nessian /ˈnɛsiən/ |
| Symbol | (astrological) |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 3 | |
| Observation arc | 11.08 yr (4,048 d) |
| Aphelion | 37.423 AU |
| Perihelion | 11.854 AU |
| 24.639 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.5189 |
| 122.30 yr (44,670 d) | |
| 80.046° | |
| 0° 0m 29.16s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.663° |
| 31.183° | |
| 170.96° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 6.400 AU |
| TJupiter | 3.793 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 57±17 km 60±16 km | |
| 0.065 0.086 | |
| RR (very red) B–V = 1.090±0.010 V–R = 0.790±0.010 V–I = 1.470±0.030 B–R = 1.847 | |
| 24.31 | |
| 9.55 9.6 | |
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7066 Nessus /ˈnɛsəs/ is a very red centaur on an eccentric orbit, located beyond Saturn in the outer Solar System. It was discovered on 26 April 1993, by astronomers of the Spacewatch program at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. The dark and reddish minor planet is likely elongated and measures approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) in diameter. It was named after Nessus from Greek mythology.